Leaders Met to Discuss the Future of Talent, Labor Market

Due to the COVID-19 economic crisis, UNICEF and the International Labor Organization (ILO) reported an alarming increase in child labor. Casa Frida launched the “Hire LGBTIQ” platform to fight against labor discrimination. In other news, data shows Mexico might take up to 600 years to eradicate informality in its labor market.

Ready for more? Here is the Week in Talent!

Mexico Talent Forum

Mexico Talent Forum celebrates its seventh edition on May 18-19. Leaders of different business industries gathered virtually to share insights regarding the future trends of human capital, human resources and the labor market. If you missed the event, check out the highlights at Mexico Business News.

COVID-19 Economic Crisis Will Force 8.9 million Children to Work

The impact of the health emergency caused by the pandemic slowed down the progress achieved in the fight against child labor. ILO and UNICEF released on Tuesday the latest estimates for this labor market segment and pointed out that "without mitigation strategies, the number of children in child labor could increase by 8.9 million by the end of 2022, largely due to the increase in poverty."

Casa Frida Launches the "Hire LGBTIQ" Initiative to Promote Inclusion  

In a country where discrimination prevails despite legal advances, Casa Frida launched the “Hire LGBTIQ” initiative, one of the first to insert the LGBTIQ community and migrants into the labor market. In Mexico, it is estimated that 11 percent of the population identifies as LGBTIQ, equivalent to almost 14 million of the 126 million inhabitants, according to the LGBT+ Pride 2021 survey by consulting firm Ipsos.

Mexican Government Shares Four Goals for Education During Teacher's Day

During Mexico’s Teacher's Day celebrations, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that the federal government will allocate more resources to support teachers. Likewise, the president indicated that the issue of pensions will be addressed and instead of being individual, they will go to a general fund that will be safeguarded by the state.

Mexican Government to Post Vacancies for Doctors

Following the controversy caused by the announcement that Mexico would hire 500 Cuban doctors, President López Obrador said that next Tuesday the Federal Government will publish job postings for specialist doctors and will offer immediate hiring. During his trip to Cuba, President López Obrador agreed with his counterpart Miguel Díaz-Canel to hire 500 Cuban doctors to strengthen the public health system. The hiring of Cuban doctors has generated criticism from the health sector, including that of members of the Colegio de Medicina Interna de México, who labeled the government's decision as “unfair.” The college said that Mexico has capable health professionals but limited job vacancies.

Mexico Could Take Up To 600 Years to Eradicate Informality

At the pace it is going now, it will take Mexico up to 600 years to end labor informality, said Santiago Levy, a Brookings Institution's Senior Fellow and Senior Advisor to the US Development Program. He pointed out that those who work in the formal economy earn less despite working longer hours and being better trained, so the incentives to join the formal economy are increasingly lower in Mexico. The high rate of informality in the country is one of the main obstacles the country faces.